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Today's Rundown

Featured Story

ESMO: Merck's kidney cancer med, nabbed in Peloton buyout, keeps on delivering with additional responses

Merck's HIF-2α inhibitor, picked up in its $1 billion Peloton buyout, shrank kidney tumors in 36% of patients whose cancer is linked to a genetic condition called Von Hippel-Lindau disease. The drug also shrank tumors in other parts of the body, including in the pancreas, brain and spinal cord.

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Top Stories

Under pressure, Pfizer, Moderna (and soon AstraZeneca) publish COVID-19 vaccine protocols

The clamor for more transparency from the leading pandemic vaccine contenders has been getting louder, especially after AstraZeneca’s trial was briefly stopped in the U.K. (and is still on hold in the U.S.).

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Roche's Actemra helps keep coronavirus patients off ventilators despite earlier trial flop

It looked like the end of road for the idea of targeting IL-6 to control serious pneumonia in COVID-19 patients when Sanofi and Regeneron’s Kevzara and Roche’s Actemra both flopped in clinical trials. But now, the Swiss pharma’s contender has staged a comeback—sort of.

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Sponsored: Fierce Innovation Awards — Life Sciences Edition 2020: Winners Announcement!

The Fierce Innovation Awards: Life Sciences Edition have come to a close and we're pleased to announce the 2020 award winners!

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Brii hires Gilead's China general manager Luo to drive expansion

Brii Biosciences has hired Rogers Yongqing Luo away from Gilead to serve as general manager of its Chinese operation. The appointment gives Sino-American biotech Brii the experience of a man who helped Gilead launch eight drugs in China in quick succession. 

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ESMO: Merck chalks one up for TIGIT with phase 1 Keytruda combo

Merck’s TIGIT-blocking prospect and PD-1 med Keytruda shrank tumors in 29% of lung cancer patients who had never tried a checkpoint inhibitor. But it did better—as expected—in a subset of patients whose tumors expressed PD-L1 at levels of 1% or higher.

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Roden, fresh from BMS-Celgene merger, lands VC role at MPM

MPM Capital has hired Matthew Roden as executive partner. The role gives one of the driving forces behind Bristol Myers Squibb’s $74 billion takeover of Celgene the chance to help build biotechs.

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ESMO: Alkermes' major I-O hope sees progress across early cancer tests

Alkermes is making a bit bet on its immuno-oncology program after swingeing cuts and R&D setbacks over the past year left its I-O program as one of its leading pipeline hopes.

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Cellex, Gauss aim for smartphone-powered coronavirus test, offering rapid results at home

Diagnostic maker Cellex has announced plans to develop a rapid coronavirus infection test that people can fully perform at home, from sample collection to result—with 15-minute readings double-checked by a personal smartphone app.

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FiercePharmaAsia—Takeda's cell therapy center; Celltrion's COVID-19 antibody; Dr. Reddy's Revlimid deal

Takeda opened a new cell therapy R&D manufacturing center in Boston. Celltrion's COVID-19 antibody drug passed an early safety test. Bristol Myers Squibb penned a Revlimid patent settlement with Dr. Reddy's. And more.

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Chutes & Ladders—Olema Oncology brings on AstraZeneca vet Bohen as CEO

AZ veteran Bohen joins Olema Oncology as CEO; Cygnal Therapeutics taps Wagner as CMO; Dawkins one of two R&D execs hired at Forma.

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Resources

Whitepaper: Five Imperatives for Becoming More Patient-Centric

Achieving patient centricity depends on evolving how evidence is generated.

Whitepaper: Why Your Business Needs a Ransomware Strategy To Avoid Being Hacked!

Cybercriminals Are Actively Exploiting The Coronavirus Pandemic To Gain Entry To Enterprise Networks. Don’t Let Your Company Become The Next Ransomware Headline -- Make These Changes Now!

Whitepaper: Leverage Technology to Expedite Master Protocol Trials

This white paper addresses the complexity of basket and umbrella designs, and how modern technology is critical to run flexible, agile and quality-driven trials.

Whitepaper: The Chronic Microcap Trap: How Launch Is the Escape for True Growth

How independent drug launch and commercialization can lead to higher market capitalization.

Whitepaper: Antibody-Drug Conjugates: Catalysts for Chemistry

Download our white paper to learn more about the growth trends, complex anatomy and intricacies of developing these armed antibodies, as well as AMRI’s approach to their discovery and development.

Whitepaper: How to Successfully Manage Regulatory and Financial Compliance Risk

Avoid severe compliance penalties by staying on top of evolving laws.

Whitepaper: Accelerating the Development of Orphan Drugs for Rare Diseases

This white paper will discuss four principal CMC challenges for the developers of orphan drugs, and the potential solutions which are emerging. Download now >>

Case Study: QED Therapeutics accelerates launch of rare cancer drug into niche market with analytics-driven insights

In 2020, QED Therapeutics launched first-in-class infigratinib for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Learn how the launch team precisely identified and characterized eligible patients by taking an evidence-based approach to its commercial strategy.

Whitepaper: A Guide to Improving Your R&D Data Maturity

Life science R&D generates a LOT of data. Learn how to make sense of it and harness its potential with this step-by-step guide.

Whitepaper: How Broadening the Analysis of Compound Factors Allows for Predictive Solubility Solutions

Don’t oversimplify your solubility challenges.

Whitepaper: Reducing Site Workload for Better, Faster, Safer Clinical Trials

Download this free whitepaper to learn how to execute fast, high-quality clinical trials through eSource for studies that boost efficiency for both sponsors and sites.

Whitepaper: Learn How Collaboration (Not Competition) Will Bring Better Pediatric Medicines to Market

Drug developers and stakeholders must find ways to collaborate, rather than compete, as the RACE Act prompts the need for more pediatric research.

Whitepaper: Achieving a Successful Drug Product Technology Transfer

Get insights on key considerations for a successful tech transfer process for manufacturing a biologic drug product, including a case study on overcoming challenges in a process transfer for a sterile diluent.

Whitepaper: Avoid Fallout From Incompatibility Between Your API And Its Formulation

Download the whitepaper to learn more.

Whitepaper: Top 7 Data Points from Medical Claim Forms to Drive Market Development

Traditionally, pharma companies use a combination of prescription data & internal sales reports to look for potential buyers. Such practice provides only a LIMITED VIEW without competitor information.

Whitepaper: New data models to gain insight on medication adherence

Download the whitepaper by Optum to see how novel data platforms can uncover hidden insights on medication adherence helping life sciences companies maximize product utilization.

Executive Summary: Keys to a Successful Rapid Commercial Launch

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are spending years developing drugs or promising new biologics, all with the hopes of saving or enhancing patients’ lives. It’s a “race to the finish” in some cases, and the quicker a company can get its product to patients, the better.

eBook: Navigating the Insulin Affordability Act

Download the whitepaper for a solution designed to connect manufacturers, pharmacists, and patients. In this special guide, you will learn not just about the law but about the portal platform designed to change the entire process for all.

Whitepaper: Reducing the Complexity and Costs of Channel Planning and Logistics

Identifying opportunities to simplify channel strategies and business processes for biopharma companies, their customers and patients.

Whitepaper: The Art of Recognizing Clinical Supply Risk Factors

In a BioPharma Dive industry survey, planning and forecasting were identified as top concerns for trial sponsors. In response to this need, the CSM team at Catalent has developed a methodology for identifying, evaluating, and proactively managing the inherent risks involved in clinical trial supply chain management.

Case Study: Establishing Parameters for Success

Learn about a real-world example of how clinical supply management expertise was applied to overcome inventory challenges for a complex, global study.

Fact Sheet: Forecasting to Optimize Clinical Trial Supply Management

Whether a study is simple or highly complex, forecasting and simulation reports serve as data driven communication tools to help minimize risks and keep the study on track. Learn more about forecasting solutions for informed decision making and supporting contingency planning for clinical study.

eBook: Expecting the Unexpected: Strategies for Efficient Clinical Supply Management and Forecasting

Learn how to drive excellence within the forecasting process and utilize forecasting throughout the clinical study to better plan clinical supply budgets and project timelines. Explore how to identify potential supply-related issues before they can negatively impact your study.

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